Taga-cho, Shiga

Taga, Shiga (多賀町; Taga-chō)
Taga Matsuri More Taga photos here.
Google Map of Taga here.
Location	Shiga Prefecture, Kinki region, Honshu island, JAPAN
Population	7,470 (?? foreigners) (2022-10-31)
Area	135.93 km²
Town Centers	Taga Taisha
Major Sights	Taga Taisha Shrine
Major Gateways	Taga Taisha-mae Station
Train Stations	Taga Taisha-mae Station
Claim to Fame	Taga Taisha Shrine
Products	Ito-kiri mochi 糸切餅
Neighbors	Hikone, Kora-cho, Aisho-cho, Maibara, Higashi-Omi, Inabe (Mie), Ogaki (Gifu)
Old Name(s)
Keywords	Taga Taisha
Historical Persons	Izanagi, Izanami (Shinto god)
Links	Taga Articles | Taga Photos
Taga Tourist Information
Location	Same as town hall.
Phone	0749-48-2361
Tourist Links	Taga Tourism
Int'l Association	None
Volunteer Guides	Website
Taga Town Hall 多賀町役場
Address	〒522-0341滋賀県犬上郡多賀町多賀324 Taga 324, Taga-cho, Inukami-gun, Shiga 522-0341 JAPAN
Phone/Fax	0749-48-8111
Official Site	Japanese |
Symbols	Flower:	Lilium japonicum ササユリ
	Tree:	Japanese Cedar スギ
	Bird:	Japanese Bush Warbler ウグイス
	Others:	enter
	Logo:	[[Image:|50px|]]
Sister Towns

This page is 70% complete. Last updated: July 11, 2023

by Philbert Ono

Town of Many Felicitations

Taga (多賀町; Taga-chō) is a town in eastern Shiga Prefecture, Japan.

Famous for:

• Taga Taisha Shrine, Shiga's most popular shrine during New Year's.
• Major seasonal festivals at Taga Taisha Shrine.
• Ito-kiri mochi, a famous local confection.

Rural town next to Hikone and best-known for Taga Taisha Shrine, Shiga's most popular shrine, especially during New Year's and early Aug. Meaning "Many Felicitations," Taga is perhaps Shiga's most auspicious municipality name.

Thanks to Taga Taisha Shrine, the town has many major festivals including a horse procession in spring and a rice-planting festival. It will make you want to visit the town again and again.

In 1993, a complete skeleton of an Akebono elephant (Stegodon aurorae) was discovered in Taga. Although fossils of this elephant has been found in other parts of Japan, the one found in Taga is Japan's most complete fossil set dating from 1.8 million years ago. This species was smaller than the elephants we know today. The shoulder height was only 1.9 meter. Since it has not been found on the Asian mainland, it is thought to be endemic to Japan.

The Taga Town Museum exhibits most of the Akebono elephant skeleton. Taga has started to play up its connection to the Akebono elephant with various events and activities.

Sights

Taga Taisha on New Year's	Taga Taisha New Year's dance	Lantern Festival
Taga Taisha Setsubun	Taga Matsuri	Taga Taisha Rice-Planting Festival

• Taga Taisha Shrine 多賀大社 - Dedicated to Izanagi and Izanami, two of Japan's most famous gods, Taga Taisha Shrine is Shiga Prefecture's most popular Shinto shrine during New Year's with over 490,000 worshippers. Walk 10 min. from Taga Taisha-mae Station on the Ohmi Railways Taga Line. Map

• Kawachi Fuketsu Cavern 河内の風穴] - Cavern with a small entrance, but large interior made of coal. Takes 15-30 min. to see 200 meters of the cavern which stretches on for 6,800 meters. Average temperature of 12 C even in summer. Admission 500 yen. Accessible by car, 20 min. from town. Map

• Taga Town Museum (多賀町立博物館) - Natural history and folk culture museum highlighted by Akebono elephant fossils found in Taga in 1993. Full-scale Akebono elephant skeleton replica on display too. Part of the Akebono Park Taga which includes Taga Public Library. Small admission charged. Open: 10:00 am-6:00 pm (5:00 pm on weekends and holidays). Closed on Mondays, national holidays, third Sunday of the month, last Thu. of the month, Dec. 29–Jan. 4. 25-min. walk or 5 min. by taxi from Taga Taisha-mae Station. Buses also run from JR Hikone Station, bus stop 3. Get on the bus bound for Minami-Hikone-eki Nishi-guchi (南彦根駅西口). Get off at Akebono Park Taga (あけぼのパーク多賀). Bus schedule here.

• Kirin Beer Shiga Factory - Free factory tours (70 min. or 90 min.) of the brewery are held. Two tours are available: One for beer (beer tasting at the end of the tour) and the other is for bottled tea (lemon tea, milk tea). For tour times and reservations, call in Japanese 0749-48-2810. Closed on Mon. (open if national holiday and closed on Tue. instead). From JR Minami Hikone Station, it takes 10 min. by bus bound for Taga Taisha-mae Station. Get off at Kirin Beer-mae (キリンビール前) and enter through the Seimon Gate (正門). Or walk 15 min. from Ohmi Railways Screen Station. English website Japanese website | Map

Event Calendar

• Jan. 1 - New Year's at Taga Taisha Shrine - Many people come to worship for hatsumode. Map

• Feb. 3: Taga Taisha Setsubun Festival 多賀大社 節分祭 - It marks the beginning of spring according to the lunar calendar. So they throw beans at ogre to eliminate the evil of the previous year and bring in good fortune. On Feb. 3, 2009, Taga Taisha had an impressive ogre (called oni in Japanese) dancers from Shimane Prefecture to act as the demons to chase away during the festival. Map

• April 22: Taga Matsuri 多賀まつり - A long procession featuring Shinto priests, children in costume, women warriors, and more people on 40 horses. A total of 500 people were in the procession. There is a morning procession from Taga Taisha to Totonomiya Shrine deep in Taga's countryside, and an afternoon (main) procession going to the Otabisho, a short distance away from Taga Taisha. Map

• 1st Sun. in June - Taga Taisha Rice-Planting Festival 多賀大社御田植祭 - Held annually on the first Sunday in June, the Taga Taisha O-taue Matsuri rice-planting festival has 70 local junior high school girls planting rice in the shrine's sacred rice paddy. There's also a stage for ceremonial performances and rituals. A ceremony starts at 1 pm at the shrine, then the rice planting starts at the nearby sacred rice paddy at 2 pm. Map

• Aug. 3-5 - Taga Taisha Mantosai Lantern Festival 多賀大社万燈祭 or 10,000-Lantern Festival is a night festival when numerous lanterns are lit within the shrine grounds. The lanterns are for the repose of ancestral spirits. Various sacred dances and entertainment are also held nightly during the festival. Map

Travel Tips

• Taga Taisha is a 10-min. walk from the train station. Some shops and restaurants line the road in front of the shrine.
• Taga is famous for kiri-mochi which are kochi with pin stripes. A number of different shops sell them.
• Current weather warnings/advisories for Taga here (Japan Meteorological Agency).

Getting There

By Train Taga has only one train station, Taga Taisha-mae Station on the Ohmi Railways. When coming from Maibara Station or Yokaichi Station, you might have to transfer trains at Takamiya Station.

Train Lines & Stations

• Ohmi Railways Main Line (Honsen): Taga Taisha-mae Station

Travel Time

• From Tokyo Station to Taga Taisha-mae Station: JR Tokaido Shinkansen to Maibara Station (2.5 hours), then transfer to Ohmi Railways for Taga Taisha-mae Station (30 min.).
• From Maibara Station to Taga Taisha-mae Station: 30 min. via Ohmi Railways
• From Hikone Station to Taga Taisha-mae Station: 15 min. via Ohmi Railways
• From Takamiya Station to Taga Taisha-mae Station: 5 min. via Ohmi Railways

By Bus

• From Hikone Station via Ohmi Bus: 15 min.

Nearest Airports

• Kansai International Airport
• Central Japan International Airport (Centrair)
• Osaka International Airport

Getting Around

To Taga Taisha Shrine, you can walk from the train station. For other places, catch a taxi from the train station. Buses leave infrequently.

Maps

Placemarks in Google Maps are in English. Click on upper right icon to enlarge.

Photos

Taga Taisha Setsubun	Taga Matsuri
Rice-planting Festival	Dragon Dance

More photos at Taga Photos. More Shiga photos here.

Videos

Click on the video to start playing it.

More Shiga videos here.

Side Trips

Other sights in neighboring cities/towns within easy reach from Taga.

• Hikone

History

• 1914 - Ohmi Railways open rail link between Takamiya Station and Taga Station.
• 1941 - Town founded upon the merger of Taga village and two other villages.
• 1955 - Town merges with two other villages to form the town as it is today.

Additional Reading

• New Year's Day at Taga Taisha - January 1, 2014
• Taga Matsuri, one of Shiga’s Top 10 festivals in April-May - April 11, 2013
• Setsubun at Taga Taisha Shrine - January 27, 2012
• New Year’s worshippers in Shiga - December 28, 2011

More Taga News here.

Miscellaneous

Weather forecast provided by tititudorancea.com

Trivia

• Taga is blessed with factories of leading companies, contributing to about 30 percent of the town's tax revenue.

Related Articles

• Shiga Prefecture
• Shiga Prefecture Sights
• Shiga Prefecture Transportation
• Shiga Prefecture Municipalities

External Links

• Taga Town Hall
• shiga-ken.com - Comprehensive guide to Shiga Prefecture.